Few months back I turned into vegan. I was a lifelong meat-eater and it was very difficult for me to become a vegan and it was very hard for me to know where to start from. One of my friends that had transitioned into a plant eater a few years back kept insisting to give it a try, but i failed every time I used to go out with my friends.
The most difficult part according to me is finding vegan menus or outlets when you are eating out. After failing multiple times I decided to give a serious attempt. While my vegans friends helped me with finding vegan restaurants and meal prep companies, I started to explore vegan recipes myself. In my research I found these "Going Vegan" guides (listed below) extremely helpful. However, I would like to know few other tips that have not been mentioned in these article.
Good afternoon Anna, Welcome to the forum - its really great that you considering becoming a vegan, now has never been a better time to start, if you struggle then you could become vegetarian first, settle in to that and then take the extra step when you feel ready.
Personally I have no trouble in finding a vegan meal when eating out, shops are now stacked with vegan alternatives but that can get a little expensive, so getting recipes online or buying a recipe book is definately worth it , maybe go for one that goes into more detail about meat subsitutes .
Hello 😊 Finding restaurants and places to eat out with a vegan menu can be difficult, depending on where you live. Some places have great restaurants for vegans. Others unfortunately have a much more limited choice. Most restaurants will be accomodating and can omit a dairy product or whatever. Things have definitely improved in the past few years though. Lots of bigger supermarkets have a good range of meat alternatives so if you miss meat these are definitely worth a try. Some are better than others and it's worth trying a few to find the kind you like. Wishing you all the best 🐑
I tend to suggest doing things gradually or even treating it as a transition or experiment for a month or so, that way it might not feel as bad if things don't go to plan whilst you're finding your way - there won't be failings, just lessons learned.
In terms of restaurants, I used to do a bit of research in advance (look up places or menus first), or go somewhere with lots of vegetable dishes (Indian, Chinese, tapas) - most places will be happy to omit cheese and so on. I don't tend to do that as much now as veganism is in the mainstream in the UK.
I have permanent neurological damage from B12 deficiency so all I can say is that B12 is the most important thing that you need to take every day of your life as a vegan. You can use this chart as a guide veganhealth.org/daily-needs.... If taking one supplement a day I would advise 250mcg to 500mcg . The form of B12 does not matter much, cyanocobalamin is fine but you might also wish to try the forms more commonly found in food which are Methylcobalamin, Adenosylcobalamin and Hydroxocobalamin. This is the best form and dosage I've found : sunday.de/en/b12-mh3a-formu....
The dose logic is explained here b12-vitamin.com/dosages/. You cannot overdose on B12 and never listen to any doctor who tells you otherwise or to decrease your dosage or dosage frequency.
Your body needs B12 every day of your life - to synthesise DNA, to maintain the myelin sheaths that protect your nerves from damage and more. It is so important to life that the body stores 3-5 years in the liver but you don't want to start depleting that supply. If you stop taking B12 or take less than you need it will take years for the deficiency symptoms to manifest. They will be subtle and nonspecific at first...pins and needles, tingling, fatigue. Over time this can progress to nerve pain and muscle weakness, memory and psychiatric problems and more. You don't want to reach this stage because the neurological symptoms must be treated within 6-12 months for a full recovery. Any longer without treatment and permanent damage is likely. An untreated B12 deficiency would eventually result in death, and a very slow painful one at that. Treatment is b12 injections , and if symptoms are severe, regular b12 injections for life.
I'm not trying to scare you but just to let you know, as a vegan, never, ever forget that the 250mcg-500mcg B12 supplement you take every day is as important as your life.
Vegans take in high quantities of folate and the folate can step in to prevent anemia, so you would experience neurological and neuropsychiatric damage first, long before anemia occurs, just something to be aware of. Many doctors won't understand this. Beware also of getting your B12 tested. My B12 levels were tests at 636 when my neurological symptoms started. Many doctors do not know how much B12 vegans should take, whether supplementation affects the results of B12 blood tests (it does) and what the readings mean and do not mean . Even if they test the secondary markers such as MMA and Homocysteine these can be corrected by supplementation while a deficiency may still be present. Dont go down this road, just take 250mcg to 500mcg daily and forget worrying about this horrific stuff.
Other things I wish I'd supplemented regularly when I went vegan over 10 years ago are Iodine 150mcg a day, Zinc 8-10mg a day, and Calcium 300mg a day. To keep your iron high, lentils with tomato sauce are an awesome combination if you eat them couple times a week. I never had problems with Iron and didn't need supplements but pre-menopausal women should take on this and may need a supplement. Also take an algae-sourced EPA/DHA supplement with around 300mg DHA. Although its unusual, I also highly recommend a Taurine supplement of 500mg a day. It can do wonders for digestion and is reputed to have anti-aging benefits. Consider also taking a Choline supplement of 200-300mg a couple times a week,most vegans don't get the RDA of this either and choline is a precursor to important components of nerve sheaths (sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine). sharonpalmer.com/getting-ch...
But the most important thing is B12. Take it every day, never skip a dose, never reduce your dose and you'll avoid my fate!
What I usually do is Google "vegan items at Restaurant Name". I find chains are better at having vegan options than mom and pop places. I like Panera Bread, Olive Garden, and Red Robin.
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Best vegan cheese in taste test. 🧀